Lace-tip



F. J. BENZ. LACE TIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1920.

1,353, 140, PatentedSept. 21, 1920.

, FIGURE 2 V INVE'N TOR I ATTORNEY UNITED s rArEs FRANK J. BENZ, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.-

LACE-TIP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented S t 21 1920 Application filed May 21, 1920. SeriaI No. 383,304.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. .BENZ, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lace-Tips, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for securing the ends of woven or twisted or integrally formed cords or strips against unraveling, unwinding or becoming frayed.

It is the object of my invention to provide a device of the character indicated that can be quickly and easily applied to the end of a woven, twisted or integrally formed cord or strip and secured thereto in such a manner as to form a tip securely encompassing the material and therefore rendering it easy to thread through small orifices and preventing its further unraveling, unwinding or fraying.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the same when applied to the tip of a shoe lace.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, at 1 is shown the body portion of the device consisting of an oblong strip of suitable material, such as light weight tin, slightly cupped throughout its length as shown and having its side edges turned inwardly a distance as at 2.

Near one end of this member and in the bottom thereof is punched up a triangular section as 3, the point of said section being directed toward the adjacent end 4 of the member. The end 4 tapers down to a narrow strip 5 which curves backwardly as at 6 to a point above the forward end of member 1 where it is brought to a point 7, the said point being turned downwardly and inwardly as shown at 8. In the form of the device shown the end 9 is provided with a projecting portion 10 which is bent upwardly and inwardly as at 11 for the purpose hereinafter specified. The strip 5 is also cupped as shown at. 12 so that when pressed downward into position the side edges 2 may overlap the same when pressed inwardly and hold the said strip in position.

After being used for some time the metallic tips of the ordinary shoe lace frequently slip off thereby rendering the lace difficult to thread through the eyelets of the shoe and therefore occasioning the discarding of the lace long before it is worn out.

As a specific instance of the manner in which the device is used, if a shoe lace is rendered practically useless because of the loss of the tip thereon one of the devices above described may be attached thereto in the following manner.

The end of the lace is laid in the curved portion of body 1 between edges 2 in such a manner as to engage point'3. The strip 5 1s now pressed down onto the lace end and the point 7 forced into the same. The side edges 2 are now pressed inwardly until they approach each other thereby causing the whole body portion to envelop the end of the lace as shown, the end of the lace being indicated in dotted lines at 13.

It is understood of course, that while I have herein shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention changed in form, proportions, construction and method of application may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character indicated comprising an oblong body member bendable inwardly from both sides thereof, having a pointed prong punched upwardly adjacent one end thereof and directed toward said end and said end tapering to form a narrow extension for said member, said extension being bendable backwardly over said body member to engage a lace end placed therein and said body member beingso proportioned as to overlap and engage said e2:- tension when bent inwardly thereover.

2. A device of the character indicated comprising an oblong body member bendable inwardly from both sides thereof, having a pointed prong punched upwardly adjacent one end thereof and directed toward said end and said end tapering to form a narrow extension for said member, said extension being bendable backwardly over said body member to engage a lace end placed therein and provided with a terminal prong adapted to engage said lace end, and said body memher being so proportioned as to overlap and engage said extension when bent inwardly thereover.

FRANK J. BENZ. 

